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Friday, March 13, 2009

Homosexuality and Christianity

I'm really struggling here with knowing how to approach homosexuality from a Christian point of view. I know what the bible tells us, but I'm still confused.

I've been having a hard time with this for awhile now. About a year. I can understand being gay and not knowing God or knowing His word... But what about when you know what the bible says and you know how God feels about it. Will you continue to choose to live in a way that isn't pleasing to God, while serving Him? That confuses me.

Last night one of my best friends came out to Leif and I. We both knew but we wanted to wait to give him the chance to tell us himself. I was relieved when he finally told us. I was proud of him. And I love him even more because of it. Then Leif asked the question I was dying to ask: "well what about God and what the bible says". Our friends response was basically: "The bible says that woman can't do certain things yet we allow them to do it now. So I'm hoping that being gay is along those lines... but I don't think it is".

For me its hard to choose something that would hurt God, on purpose for my own pleasure. I know that being gay is a lot different than choosing to lie or steal. In God's eyes though the sin is equal. I think struggling with homosexuality is a lot harder than most sins.

What I want to know is, will God still let those who live the gay lifestyle but believe in Him, have accepted His son and all, into heaven? But if that's the case then we could all just continue to sin and expect to get into heaven. Because by being gay that's living a sinful lifestyle.

It hurts my heart because I love my friends. I want them to go to heaven. I want them to love and serve God the way He's intended to be loved and served. I'm so torn on what to think. I believe my God is fair and just. I do not believe He is cruel. But sometimes I wonder... And I don't understand why some people must suffer more than others.

Then that brings me back to the whole pre-election debate... Which I would rather not go into.

Please pray for me.

On a happy note now we can be Will & Grace like I've been waiting for:)

7 comments:

Hi Margaret,I used to wonder some of the same things until I read this article:

How Does God View Homosexuality?

Today, many people—even some clergymen—soft-pedal the issue of homosexuality. Yet, the Bible leaves no room for confusion. It tells us that Jehovah God made man and woman and that he purposed for sexual desires to be fulfilled only between husband and wife. (Genesis 1:27, 28; 2:24) It comes as no surprise, then, that the Bible condemns homosexual acts.—Romans 1:26, 27.

Of course, many would say that the Bible is out-of-date. For example, 14-year-old Megan asserts, “Some of the things stated in the Bible have no place in today’s world.” But why are some so quick to make that claim? Often, it is because the Bible’s view conflicts with their own. They reject God’s Word because it teaches something different from what they want to believe. That view is biased, though, and the Bible encourages us to rise above such closed-minded thinking! In fact, in his Word, Jehovah God urges us to consider the fact that his commandments are for our good. (Isaiah 48:17, 18) That is reasonable. After all, who knows our human makeup better than our Creator?

As a young person, you may be experiencing a variety of emotions. What if you feel attracted to a member of the same sex? Does this automatically mean that you are a homosexual? No. Remember, you are in “the bloom of youth,” a period in which you are subject to involuntary sexual arousal. (1 Corinthians 7:36) For a time, your attention may focus on a member of the same sex. But having such an attraction does not mean that you are gay. In fact, statistics indicate that such inclinations usually fade in time. Still, you might wonder, ‘How do these desires start in the first place?’

Some say that homosexuality is rooted in the genes. Others say it is a learned behavior. It is not the purpose of this article to delve into the “nature-versus-nurture” debate. Indeed, it seems that it would be a gross oversimplification to attribute homosexuality to a single cause. Homosexuality—much like other forms of behavior—appears to be far more complex than that.

Regardless of the cause, the important thing to realize is that the Bible condemns homosexual acts. Thus, the person who is struggling with same-sex desires is presented with a reachable goal—he or she can choose not to act on those desires. To illustrate: A person might be “disposed to rage.” (Proverbs 29:22) In the past he may have freely given in to fits of anger. After studying the Bible, though, he becomes aware of the need to develop self-control. Does this mean that he will never again feel anger welling up inside him? No. However, because he knows what the Bible says about uncontrolled anger, he refuses to succumb to his feelings. It is similar with a person who has felt attracted to others of the same sex but who has now come to learn what the Bible says about homosexual practices. On occasion, an improper desire may still present itself. Nevertheless, by heeding the counsel of the Bible, the person can refrain from acting on that desire.

Granted, same-sex desires may be strongly entrenched. Be assured, though, that even deeply rooted wrong desires are not insurmountable. (1 Corinthians 9:27; Ephesians 4:22-24) Ultimately, you are in control of how you will live. (Matthew 7:13, 14; Romans 12:1, 2) And despite claims to the contrary, you can learn to control your impulses—or at least refrain from acting on them.

So, when I read this, I came to the conclusion that we should worship God the way HE wants to be worshipped...with clean worship in spirit and truth. Jesus sacrifice was for all mankind, but we benefit from that sacrifice by expressing faith in it along with heartfelt repentance for sins.

Mikimu...what a great article. It helps me as a person who has struggled with these questions as well. Thanks Margaret for this thought provoking post. I will pray for you and myself as we work to serve God and support our friends and loved ones as well. :)

Margaret, the best thing, you can do is pray for him and pray in the spirit and God will know what do. Don't tell his anything about what God says about homosexuality, because he will resist it. Praying in the spirit, ask Jesus to fill you with the Holy Spirit and he can pray through you. God bless you, Leif and Riley

Tough stuff. I have lost a few friends for simply stating that I do not believe that homosexuality is what God wants for us. As a mormon, I have been taking a lot of heat for this belief lately, when really, I am just a person like everyone else trying to figure out this life.

For me, coping with my belief being different from society's trend has come down to an effort of understanding the word "tolerance." I think that the word has come to mean, "have no opinion" or "allow everything" when really, in the Lord's eyes it is much different. The Lord ate with sinners, he loved them, but He was bold with them and He admonished a better way. He stood up and endorsed the Father's will.

To understand why Heavenly Father would not be happy with homosexuality, I think it has helped me to develop a testimony on a principle that the greatest joy any person can ever experience comes through a heterosexual marriage relationship, creating children together. If you believe this principle to be true, as I do, it is no wonder the Lord forbids homosexuality, for He wants each of us to experience the greatest He has to offer us.

Anyway, I admire your strength, especially the way you love. It's not easy to stand-up, but the blessings for obedience do come, this I know.

Hey girl! This is a great post...it challenges us to really figure out where God is in this subject. I can't say that I have an answer, but I believe like you said that sin is sin and as much as any Christian tries to live a life pleasing to God we all fall short. The beautiful thing about our God is His grace...I don't want to encourage someone to rely solely on that fact but when it comes to temptations, addictions, shortcomings, trials...they aren't so easy to walk away from. We all have things that we struggle with, homosexuality is just one of those struggles that everyone sees. Ultimately it is about the persons heart, if they love God they will desire to please Him...this means dying to yourself and your desires. It isn't an easy task but it is one that every christian is called to. I will be praying for you and your friends!

Hey Margaret, I've been reading your blogs for a while and have really been enjoying them because you have the relationship with God that I've made it my top priority to achieve. I also think Riley is the cutest baby ever.:) Well for some reason I decided to browse through your posts and I'm glad I did. Just yesterday, my friend and I had a discussion about relgion and God with a classmate of ours who is gay. I didn't say outright what I really thought about it, having been confused at the time, but I did comment that I think the reason people don't believe as strongly in religion and God as they should is because it inteferes with his/her lifestyle. Now thanks to this post which lead to that article I am no longer confused about it and can now hold firm to what I believe in. Thanks.